Zhou Taixing was so scared that his whole body trembled. The chopsticks in his hand fell directly onto the table. Zhou Fang fell off the chair and crawled backward, his face full of horror, “Ah ah ah ah!!!”
Zhou You rolled his eyes, stiffly falling off the chair.
The main hall was in chaos.
In a secluded courtyard.
Zong Yuan focused on looking at the envelopes in the wooden box. However, the sunny day outside suddenly became covered with dark clouds. Zhou Ning nestled next to Zhou Jin, feeling that something was wrong. He lifted his head and looked, directly meeting a pair of familiar eyes, “…?”
“Brother—”
A pale hand tinged with blue and purple brushed across Zhou Ning’s eyes. After uttering a syllable, he obediently fell asleep.
Zong Yuan, with his back to Zhou Ning, unwilling to see more of these things, put down the letter, but suddenly smelled a heavy earthy scent.
Zong Yuan: “…”
He quickly turned around. The body on the ground, at some point, seemed to have “come alive.” The eyes that he had just praised were now open, lifeless, and empty, staring straight at Zong Yuan. The rigid body, under his control, kept approaching Zong Yuan. A damp and oppressive smell emanated from him.
Zong Yuan subconsciously looked out of the window, only to realize that it had become dark.
Zong Yuan cautiously took two steps back, frowning, “Did you kill Zhou You?”
Zhou Jin coldly stared at him, a drop of blood oozing from the tip of his finger. He approached, “You… should… die.”
The sympathy he had just felt for him vanished instantly. Zong Yuan sneered, “If you have the guts, go ahead and kill me.”
Dark clouds may be immense, but there is always a day when they disperse.
Zhou Jin’s blood-drenched right hand extended steadily, but it could only imprison Zong Yuan in that area.
Zhou Jin’s eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, “You… should… die.”
After waiting seven days for revenge, all the power was ruined by this man!
Digging his lifeless body out of the soil, he now lacked the strength to even kill this man!
Why today? Why!
Zong Yuan paused. Zhou Jin’s expression mixed with hatred and anger as if he were the victim. Zong Yuan felt a skip in his heart, “How could you…”
He took two steps forward, and astonishingly, he really walked out!
Zhou Jin stared at him with hatred, blood stains increasing on his right hand, emitting the stench of a decaying corpse.
Having outsmarted and confronted the Third Young Master Zhou several times, Zong Yuan found it strange. Unable to resist, he said, “Is it that after killing Zhou You, you lost the ability to kill?”
Zhou Jin stiffly took two steps forward, unable to control his body. His left foot tripped over the right, landing with a thud on the ground.
Zong Yuan, “…Be careful.”
Zhou Jin’s hand still extended. He crawled toward Zong Yuan’s feet. Overwhelming hatred towards the Zhou family and the melancholy of not having the energy for revenge compelled him to bring this man who ruined his vengeance along with him to death. His bloodshot eyes welled with blood, and his long hair mixed with blood, leaving a pool of blood on the ground.
The dark clouds were finally passing, and the courtyard was beginning to brighten.
Zong Yuan and Zhou Jin exchanged pained gazes. After a few silent seconds, Zong Yuan ultimately bypassed Zhou Jin, closed the doors and windows, ignoring Zhou Jin’s struggles, and placed him on the bed behind layers of curtains.
In the dark space, the scent of blood was strong. He didn’t know why he had done this, so he directly asked Zhou Jin, “Is it my fault?”
Clearly, it was the seventh day, but Zhou Jin seemed weaker than before.
Filled with hatred and helplessness, Zhou Jin responded, “It’s because of you—”
A levee breaking from an ant hole.
Just on the verge of avenging his enemies, but now lacking the strength for retaliation.
If one is killed as a human, does that mean they can only watch their enemies escape even as a ghost?
Zong Yuan fell silent for a while, then asked, “Is it because I dug you out today?”
No one responded, but Zong Yuan became more certain.
He had previously read books about ghosts and spirits in this room. The books mentioned that revenge within the first seven days after death is not revenge but karmic retribution. Beyond the seventh day, it becomes difficult to achieve.
If this was true, then what he had destroyed was all his hopes.
Zong Yuan asked in a low voice, “What can be done to help you recover?”
Zhou Jin repeated, “No, no, no… I can’t kill, I can’t kill—”
Zong Yuan interrupted his increasingly intense words, “Is it because you were exposed to sunlight?”
His tone was serious yet conveyed a reassuring steadiness. Zhou Jin, in a trance, nodded.
Zong Yuan said, “I heard that ghosts have a way of absorbing sunlight. Since I caused this to happen to you, I’ll compensate you. Take as much as you lack.”
Zhou Jin felt absurd. Lying there like a corpse, the smell of decay was about to overpower the scent of soil. “Absorbing sunlight? What nonsense is that?”
Even without direct sunlight, the strong aura of sunlight was still pervasive.
He grew weaker.
Unable to muster any intent to kill, a person who already had no breath seemed to have vanished. Zong Yuan inexplicably tightened inside. He cursed, then fumbled around Zhou Jin’s waist.
“You damn ghost, you don’t even know how to absorb sunlight. What kind of useless ghost are you?” Without any reservation, Zong Yuan scolded. Zhou Jin’s expression twisted in response, and his sharp nails turned black. His hair wrapped around Zong Yuan’s neck, but in the next moment, all movements ceased. He stared in shock.
The wind couldn’t enter the room, yet the curtains swayed gently.
Zhou Jin’s pupils widened as he felt the warmth on his lips.
Zong Yuan pressed his lips against Zhou Jin’s, irritably saying, “Well, go ahead and absorb it!”
He really didn’t want to owe this kind of thing.
Zhou Jin opened his mouth to speak, but a breath escaped from Zong Yuan’s mouth and accurately entered his own.
“!!!”
His body clearly felt a bit lighter, and the lost strength began to return. Just this little bit could provide such a tremendous amount of energy?!
Zhou Jin eagerly chased after Zong Yuan’s lips. He was like a wolf that hadn’t eaten meat in three days, aggressively sealing Zong Yuan’s lips. With a voracious hunger, he sucked in the air from his mouth, gradually rising and tightly sitting on top of Zong Yuan, voraciously “absorbing sunlight.”
He got lost in ecstasy and excitement as if he wished to immerse his entire being into Zong Yuan’s mouth.
To be honest, the smell of decay still lingered, but Zhou Jin recovered quickly. The heavy scent of soil surged again, and Zong Yuan, led by Zhou Jin, was immersed in it. His expression was serious, and it was no longer a simple touch of lips; it had evolved into a deep kiss.
Zong Yuan’s palm supported Zhou Jin’s hips. Zhou Jin’s body seemed to come alive. He opened his closed eyes and could clearly see Zong Yuan’s expression. As excitement surged, countless cries of ghosts and wolves echoed, and ghostly claws appeared once again.
Zong Yuan suddenly pushed him away and strode out of the room.
Zhou Jin stared blankly at his departing figure, his lips moist. He touched his own lips and suddenly swallowed.
Saliva… it was also his saliva.
Zong Yuan rushed outside, startling the three people waiting. “Young Master?”
Zong Yuan’s complexion was extremely poor. He walked to the tree, and before he could reach out to sweep away a few fallen leaves on the stone stool, a strange wind blew them away.
Zong Yuan’s face darkened even more. He directly asked Awu, who had just locked the door and was chatting with the brothers, “I told you to send someone to check the main hall. Haven’t they returned yet?”
Awu, cautiously said, “Not yet, Young Master. What happened to you? Who made you angry?”
Zong Yuan’s peripheral vision glanced behind him. He still looked furious. “Don’t ask.”
Several people exchanged glances, not daring to inquire further. After a while, there was a knock on the door. A delicate female voice spoke, “Young Master, I’m a maid from Second Madam’s side. Everything is chaotic now. Madam asked me to inquire if there’s anything lacking in your hospitality.”
Awu received a signal from Zong Yuan. “There’s nothing missing, but we don’t know what happened. Could the young lady tell us?”
Qing Ning was about to speak but suddenly shivered. The whites of her eyes rolled, and her body shook violently for a few moments before returning to normal.
With meaningful eyes, she looked at the wooden door and touched her neck. “Is Lord Zong… around?”
Zong Yuan instructed Awu to open the door, facing the maid outside. “I’m also curious about what happened,” he smirked, “Can you tell me?”
Qing Ning looked uneasy, turning her face away and lowering her eyes, pretending to be normal. “Young Master, please stay in the courtyard and avoid looking at things you shouldn’t.”
Awu angrily retorted, “How dare you speak like that?!”
Qing Ning hesitated for a moment before reacting. She subtly furrowed her brows and forced a stiff smile. “I apologize.”
Zong Yuan’s expression deepened, thoughtful. “What’s the young lady’s name?”
“…” Qing Ning paused, cautiously saying, “Xiao Ya.”
Since when did the Third Young Master understand how to possess someone?
Zong Yuan, infuriated, chuckled. He grabbed Qing Ning’s hand, pinching “her” chin, his eyes showing deep affection. “Miss Xiao Ya is truly beautiful.”
Awu and the others: “???”
Qing Ning’s face turned black, an inexplicable resentment rising in her heart. She wished she could kill the maidservant who was possessed. At that moment, Zong Yuan’s expression suddenly turned cold. He ruthlessly expelled the guest, “Get lost.”
The door was immediately shut.
Qing Ning was left outside the door. “She” waited with a cold expression for a moment, then turned and left.
0046, puzzled, asked, “Didn’t you just say—”
“It’s him,” Zong Yuan interrupted him. At this moment, he had regained his composure and had the leisure to chat with those around him. In his heart, he thought that in a long-lasting relationship, there should be some lessons taught.
Besides, he was genuinely angry.
Being bullied to death like this, he should remember that he should resist when he was alive.
He didn’t know when each world would come to him. If he couldn’t become a ghost this time—
Damn.
Ayu came back quickly, bringing news. “Yesterday, people from the Zhou Mansion went outside the city to deliver some food.”
Zong Yuan took what he had in his hands—incense, candles, and paper money were all there. He stood up and walked towards the room. The sound of Ayu’s report stopped, “Young Master?”
Zong Yuan turned around, “Aren’t you tired? Go have a meal first.”
He then went back to the room to check on the sleeping Zhou Ning and the motionless “corpse.”
Zong Yuan’s temples pulsed, and all the anger he felt after recognizing him turned into tenderness. He carefully arranged Zhou Jin’s hair, bit by bit.
“No next time.”
Don’t die. Take care of yourself and wait for me to seek revenge for you. Live well.
…If you die, if you didn’t become a ghost, where should I find you?
I’d rather you be ruthless in life than become a hypocritical and elusive ghost after death.
This won’t happen again.
Author’s note:
Zong Yuan’s anger lies in everything Zhou Jin endured, and he is more enraged by his death. He would prefer Zhou Jin to be ruthless during his lifetime than to die and become a hypocritical ghost before he arrives.
Who knows if he can become a ghost or not? ╮(╯▽╰)╭
